Drumstick

ABSTRACT

A DRUMSTICK INCLUDING AN ELONGATE BODY HAVING A STRIKING TIP PORTION AT ONE END THEREOF, GRIP MEANS SECURED TO AND ENCOMPASSING THE BODY AT A POSITION SPACED FROM THE STRIKING TIP PORTION THEREOF, THE GRIP MEANS BEING COMPRISED OF A PLURALITY OF VERY FINE, FLEXIBLE, CLOSELY PACKED, RELATIVELY SHORT NYLON FIBERS PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM   THE BODY IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY NORMAL TO THE SURFACE OF THE BODY, THE INNER ENDS OF THE FIBERS BEING BONDED TO THE BODY WHEREBY THE FIBERS FORM A SOFT, VELVET-LIKE SEAMLESS GRIP.

Sept. 28, 1971 M. F. RUSSELL 3,608,419

DRUMSTICK Filed Jan. 15, 1970 INVENTOR MICHAEL F. RUSSELL ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,608,419 DRUMSTICK Michael F. Russell, 2451 Greenwood Road, Lapeer, Mich. 48446 Filed Jan. 15, 1970, Ser. No. 3,104 Int. Cl. B10d 13/00 US. Cl. 84422 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A drumstick including an elongate body having a striking tip portion at one end thereof, grip means secured to and encompassing the body at a position spaced from the striking tip portion thereof, the grip means being comprised of a plurality of very fine, flexible, closely packed, relatively short nylon fibers projecting outwardly from the body in a direction generally normal to the surface of the body, the inner ends of the fibers being bonded to the body whereby the fibers form a soft, velvet-like seamless grip.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to drumsticks and, more particularly, to an improved drumstick incorporating improved grip means which facilitates the gripping of the drumstick by a drummer without slippage and without substantially changing the tonal qualities of the drumstick when a drum is struck with any portion of the drumstick including the grip portion thereof.

As is well known in the art, heretofore the most commonly used drumsticks have been made of wood having a smooth, slick surface finish commonly produced by waxing or varnishing the wood surface. Such prior wood drumsticks have been subject to the defect that they become slippery when Wet, as for example when wet by perspiration of the drummer or by rain during a parade, with the result that the drummer may lose gripping control of the drumstick and the drumstick may even fly from the hands of the drummer. In an effort to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages, drumsticks have been proposed having a cord Winding on thegripping end portion of the stick. An example of such a construction is disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,484,777 issued Feb. 26, 1924 to Hassenpfiug. However, such prior drumsticks are subject to the defect that the cord winding adversely affects the tonal qualities or sounds produced by the drumstick particularly when the drumhead or rim is struck with the gripping end portion of the stick as when making rim shots or in cross sticking.

An object of the invention is to overcome disadvantages in prior drumsticks and to provide an improved drumstick incorporating improved means which facilitates the gripping of the drumstick by the drummer without slippage and without changing the tonal qualities or sounds produced by the drumstick when the drum is struck with any portion of the drumstick including the gripping portion thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved drumstick that is pleasing in appearance, economical to manufacture and durable.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved drumstick incorporating improved gripping means which prevents slippage of the drumstick due to perspiration or other moisture producing conditions and which produces sounds substantially the same as the sounds produced by a wooden drumstick when a drum is struck by the drumstick.

The above as Well as other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the fol- 3,608,419 Patented Sept. 28, 1971 lowing description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drumstick embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the drumstick illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged end view of the gripping end portion of the drumstick illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged end view of the tip or striking end portion of the drumstick illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, with portions in section, of the drumstick illustrated in FIG. 2, taken on the line V-V thereof; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the drumstick illustrated in FIG. 2, taken on the line VIVI thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated therein comprised of a drumstick, generally designated 10, which is adapted for use in the same manner as a conventional wood drumstick, although it will be understood that the present invention is applicable to other uses. The drumstick 10 is comprised of an elongate body 12 which is preferably formed of a single piece of hard wood having the desired degree of resilience and durability. It will be understood however that other materials having the desired tonal qualities may be utilized to form the body 12. The body 12 is preferably of the size and shape of a conventional drumstick and includes a tip or striking head portion 14, a reduced diameter neck portion 16, a flaring portion 18 and an elongate gripping portion 20. The tip portion 14, neck portion 16 and flaring portion 18 are preferably coated with wax or varnish and, if desired, the tip portion 14 may be covered in a conventional manner with a layer of suitable plastic to increase the durability thereof. I

In accordance with the present invention, the gripping portion 20 of the body 12 is provided with gripping means, generally designated 22, which is comprised of very fine, flexible, closely packed, relatively short n'ylon fibers 24 which project outwardly from the gripping portion 20 of the body 12 in a direction substantially normal to the surfaces of the gripping portion 20- of the body. The inner ends of each of the fibers 24 are bonded to the gripping portion of the body 12 whereby the nylon fibers 24 form a thick soft pile to provide a velvet-like seamless coating covering the gripping end portion 20 of the body including the end 25 thereof. The velvet-like gripping means 22 is extremely durable and prevents slippage of the drumstick when the drumstick is wet due to perspiration, rain or other moist conditions. If desired the nylon fibers 24 may be provided in various colors to produce a decorative appearance and/or the nylon fibers may incorporate a suitable fluorescent material which will fluoresce under natural or ultraviolet lighting conditions so as to provide novel visual effects for viewers thereof. I

In the manufacture of the drumstick 10, the wooden body 12 is initially formed to the desired shape after which the surface of the Wood is sanded and cleaned. The tip portion 14, neck portion 16 and flaring portion 18 are waxed or varnished in the conventional manner and, if desired, a plastic coating applied to the tip portion 14 in a conventional manner. The sanded and clean gripping portion 20 is initially coated with a thin layer 28 of a suitable bonding material, such as an epoxy resin, and the very fine, flexible, relatively short, nylon fibers 24 are preferably applied through the agency of a conventional electrostatic applicator which electrostatically propels the very fine nylon fibers axially onto the gripping portion 20 of the body so that the fibers project outwardly from the surfaces of the gripping portion of the body in a direction substantially normal or perpendicular to such surfaces. The inner ends of each of the fibers 24 are bonded to the gripping portion of the body by the epoxy resin layer 28 with the fibers being closely and densely packed, substantially erect, and in the form of a thick soft pile whereby the fibers form a velvet-like seamless grip. By way of example, the nylon fibers may be approximately of an inch long when applied to a drumstick having a body diameter of approximately /2 inch at the gripping portion thereof. When viewed under a microscope having a magnification power of 50, the closely packed fibers appear to have a slight wavy appearance, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, with the inner end only of each of the fibers being bonded by the epoxy resin layer 28 to the gripping portion 20 of the wood body. When viewed with the naked eye, however, the very fine closely packed nylon fibers present a velvet-like appearance.

It has been found that with such a construction, the gripping means 22 is extremely durable and does not change the tonalqualities or sounds normally produced by a wood drumstick when a drum is struck with any portion of the drumstick. For example, when the drumhead or rim is struck with the gripping end portion 20 of the drumstick, as when making rim shots, or in cross sticking, or in producing bosa nova or Latin beats, the same sounds are produced by the drumstick 10 as are produced by a conventional wood drumstick. At the same time, the gripping means 22 does not alter the sounds produced by the v tip or flaring portions 14 and 18 when such portions strike the drumhead or rim.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention facilitates the gripping of a drumstick by a drummer without slippage due to moisture and without changing the tonal qualities or sounds normally produced by the drumstick when a drum is struck with any portion of the drumstick. At the same time, the present invention provides a drumstick which is decorative in appearance and which produces pleasing visual effects under various .lighting conditions. 7

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a drumstick, the combinationincluding an elongate body having a head portion at one end thereof, gripping means secured to and encompassing said body at a position spaced from said head portion, said gripping means being comprised of a plurality of electrostatically applied, flexible, closely packed, relatively short nylon fibers projecting outwardly from said body in a direction generally normal to the adjacent surfaces thereof, the inner ends of each of said fibers being directly bonded to said body whereby said fibers form a velvet-like seamless flockmg.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein said body is formed of wood.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein said fibers are bonded to said body by an epoxy resin.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said fibers include a fluorescent material.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein said nylon fibers are bonded to side and end surfaces of said body remote from said head portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,484,777 2/1924 Hassenpflug 84422 2,002,535 5/1935 Gagnier 27381 2,717,437 9/1955 Demestral 161-48 3,368,811 2/1968 Finney 27375X RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner I. F. GONZALES, Assistant Examiner 

